I'm looking for some ideas for lightweight 15" wheels for my Mazdaspeed Protege5 race car. The car currently has FD RX-7 16" wheels, which are nice, but I want to go down to 15" for better tire selection and fit within the wheelwells.
Ideal would be 15x7, et35-40, 5x114.3 (5x4.5) bolt pattern, but I'm open to suggestions.
In reply to BMWGeoff :
I'd just find a set of factory alloys that fit. If you're shaving tenths fine but just find a decent set at a good price.
Note: I pound the kerbs mercilessly so I'm not one to try and find the lightest wheels possible.
Enkei RFP1 - 15X7 is less than 10 lbs.
That size plus that bolt pattern does limit things a bit--like, I don't see any of Konig's flow-formed wheels in that size. Tire Rack's site says only 16s and up for that car. Is there another car that you can use to fake the site into finding 15s for yours?
RPF1s are light, but I don't see that size/bolt pattern listed. 15-inch Volks, also way light, tend to come in 4x100.
David S. Wallens said:That size plus that bolt pattern does limit things a bit--like, I don't see any of Konig's flow-formed wheels in that size. Tire Rack's site says only 16s and up for that car. Is there another car that you can use to fake the site into finding 15s for yours?
RPF1s are light, but I don't see that size/bolt pattern listed. 15-inch Volks, also way light, tend to come in 4x100.
Even when searching with another viable option, I come up with almost nothing. I need to see how much I can play with the offset... if low offset won't stick out too much, I have more options for fitment, if not weight... otherwise I guess I need to look at 17s
If there's budget for custom three-piece wheels, then you have some choices.
Also, Braid does custom fitments on one-piece wheels.
The 15" wheels on SN95s are wide and very light. They were popular on FCs for a while.
I believe you can get Team Dynamics wheels in those dimensions.
No experience, but Diamond Racing makes a 15 x 7 that's 18 pounds and you can specify bolt pattern and offset. Seems like it would hold up to track use as it is a race wheel.
David S. Wallens said:That size plus that bolt pattern does limit things a bit--like, I don't see any of Konig's flow-formed wheels in that size. Tire Rack's site says only 16s and up for that car. Is there another car that you can use to fake the site into finding 15s for yours?
ITR
I wonder if FC spec wheels would work better than the FD... They were often raced with 15" wheels.
In reply to ProDarwin :
Oh yeah, duh. Thanks. Well, Tire Rack pretty much only shows 15x6.5. I'm thinking that you'd want something wider.
VTO offers custom drilling, too.
pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) said:
No experience, but Diamond Racing makes a 15 x 7 that's 18 pounds and you can specify bolt pattern and offset. Seems like it would hold up to track use as it is a race wheel.
Given the options and budget, that seems to be the direction I'm heading... Bassett and Aero also make similar wheels
What about the FC RX-7 Vert BBS wheels?
In reply to ProDarwin :
Always timeless. I didn't realize they offered that combo.
ProDarwin said:slipstreams
I do like the Slipstreams... we might have a winner here.
I like the Bassett Inertia. They are sort of light and can take a beating. I have them on my car and a friend has them on his Legends car that he races on dirt. 
In reply to drock25too :
My only concern is I'm not sure if the backspace/offset will work for me.
I have raced an fc rx7 for about 15 years now...
I have not found any decently light widish 15 inch wheel except for jeep takeoff.
Most are 15 x8. They are cheap.
Ymmv.
Edit to say that steel wheels are crap in my opinion. I have run aero and Bassett. Both are easy to bend. Both seem to just kinda wear out over a race season. No me gusta.
We currently run a jegs ssr star wheel in 15 x10 and really like them!
In reply to BMWGeoff :
You can get them in several different offsets. I think 4.5 or 5 down to 2 inch.
ProDarwin said:slipstreams
And I believe Rota has that size in stock in the U.S., too. If you can/want to do 15x9, check out the Grid Concave, too.
In reply to wvumtnbkr :
Forgot about the Jeep wheels!
Circle track wheels are designed to bend easily. It's better to bend a wheel than a suspension component after contact.
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